A resume is your opportunity to tell potential employers about your skills, your abilities, your experiences, and your education, as well as a chance to show that you belong in that job. Your resume is, in reality, a marketing tool. As such, you should include information that will enhance your best qualities and eliminate potentially controversial information. Think of your resume and your cover letter as paid advertising. This is prime advertising space – use it well.

Preparing a Resume

A resume will not get you a job. However, a poorly prepared one could very well cost you a job. A well-prepared resume is the vehicle for “getting your foot in the door” and is one of your most valuable marketing tools.

There are any number of acceptable resume formats to choose from. However, most will follow a format similar to this:

2. Career Objective – this is an optional area and one where opinions differ as to the effectiveness of its use. There is a school of thought that believes the use of the Objective Statement should be avoided because you run the risk of eliminating yourself from consideration for a job you might have a strong interest in. The other school of thought believes that an appropriately worded Objective Statement is absolutely critical in effectively marketing yourself. Whichever school you adhere to is strictly a personal choice, however, should you choose to include the Career Objective area in your resume, strive to tailor your objective to the job you seek.

3. Summary of Qualifications – this section will provide a concise overview of your qualifications as they relate to your Career Objective. You should emphasize those skills you have developed including interpersonal, organizational, supervisory, and other skills.

4. Education – List school, city and state. On a separate line, list degree, major, graduation date. (If you have not graduated, state expected graduation date.) List any professional certifications or licenses you have attained.

5. Work Experience – Include your work experience in reverse chronological order – that is, begin with your most current job and work backward. For each work experience include:

Name of organization and location of work (city, state).

Dates of employment – use month and year format.

Title of position held

6. Special Skills – Include information such as computer skills, additional training, language skills, etc. If you are seeking a position in Information Technology, Engineering or other technical fields, you might consider using “Technical Skills” for this area and include the hardware platforms, operating systems, computer programming languages, databases, technical tools and technical equipment in which you are skilled.